flashlight fish

Open encyclopedia reference

The flashlight fish (Photoblepharon steinitzi) is a species of anomalopid fish of the order Beryciformes. It is native to the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea where it is found near coral reefs. It is a nocturnal predator, hiding in crevices and caves by day and emerging to feed at night. At 11.0 cm (4.3 in) in length, it is small and relatively stout. Its body is mostly solid black, with the exception of white discoloration around its pectoral fins and a lateral line of reflective scales. It is most notable for the bioluminescent organs located underneath its eyes, which it uses to find prey, evade predators, and communicate with other members of its species. Like other Beryciformes, its reproduction is oviparous. It has no commercial value, and this combined with its timid, nocturnal nature makes population sizes and trends unknown. It is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to a wide distribution and lack of known threats.

Wikipedia contributors, Photoblepharon steinitzi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:00:44.996484+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Photoblepharon steinitzi Abe & Haneda, 1973

Name authority

Abe & Haneda, 1973

Common name

flashlight fish

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Trachichthyiformes

Family

Anomalopidae

Genus

Photoblepharon

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderTrachichthyiformes
11. familyAnomalopidae Gill, 1889
12. genusPhotoblepharon Weber, 1902
13. speciesPhotoblepharon steinitzi Abe & Haneda, 1973

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Photoblepharon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 9 records assigned to Anomalopidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Abe, T., & Haneda, Y. (1973). Description of a new fish of the genus Photoblepharon (family Anomalopidae), from the Red Sea. Contributions to the Knowledge of the Red Sea No. 50. Bulletin, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Sea Fisheries Research Station Haifa, 60: 57–62. [Second author erroneous spelled Y. Haned.]. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4GT59. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.